You might think that you have “happily ever after” down to a science. But before you reserve the table with a view, set up the elaborate scavenger hunt, or aggravate your roommate’s allergies with rose petals all over the apartment, you may want to consider the actual science that goes into those butterfly feelings. Dr. Ty Tashiro stopped by Wake Up! with Taylor to provide some insight. According to his recent book, The Science of Happily Ever After, infatuation can actually be a harmful emotion that prevents two out of three couples from their fairy tale ending.

“Some people ask, ‘Why can’t I be in that passionate love, that kind of high intensity love for forever?’, but it’s actually really bad for your health if you stay that way for years… those butterflies in the stomach are a stress response,” Dr. Tashiro said. “If you look at people under brain scans when they’re infatuated, ask them to think about their partner – it’s a total neurological disaster because their higher functioning parts of the brain shut down.”